Tacoma, WA, February 14, 2017 (Newswire.com) – Northwest Physicians Network of Washington, LLC (NPN), an independent practice association and the largest multi-specialty provider network in Washington, recently celebrated the addition of its 1,000th provider, HopeSparks, a leader in Pierce County, WA in behavioral health, early intervention, kinship care, home visiting, eating recovery and parent education.

According to Scott Kronlund, M.D., MS, President & Chief Medical Officer at NPN, “NPN’s growth and the success of its affiliated providers clearly shows that private practice medicine is not dead. Times today are tumultuous in healthcare and change seems to be a constant. Trying to navigate in isolation is a daunting task. Private practices need to be part of a clinically integrated community of providers in order to succeed.”

Created in 1995 with 250 participating providers, NPN has grown to over 1,055 community-based primary care and specialty providers in 300 locations throughout 12 counties in Washington.

Jesse Gamez, Chief Operating Officer at NPN, commented on the challenges confronting physicians and the benefit of the NPN model. “Private practice physicians today are faced with increasing regulations, greater administrative demands and confusing reimbursement systems that have led to longer hours, declining income, less job satisfaction and more stress. To succeed while remaining independent, they need help navigating all of the changes and administrative demands they’re faced with. By affiliating with an IPA like NPN that is fully integrated with a care management infrastructure and experience managing risk-sharing contracts, independent physicians gain the benefit of being part of a larger organization along with the resources and support they need to thrive as we shift from volume to value based reimbursement.”